064
"You didn't come here just to tell me this, did you?" Su Duan took a sip of tea and casually asked her, "Is there anything I can do for you? Please feel free to ask."
Song Ling: "How many troops are currently stationed in Shannan Prefecture?"
"Not even nine thousand, what's wrong?"
Song Ling: "And what about the governor's office?"
Su Duan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Ten thousand. What are you planning to do with it?"
"Soon a field army will march south to attack Yunzhou. I need you to hold back Jingzhou while simultaneously launching a pincer attack." Song Ling looked up at him.
"Then take Yunzhou."
Su Duan was shocked. "I only have 10,000 men? How is that possible? The governor of Jingzhou has at least 40,000 troops."
“Jingzhou is too busy to take care of itself.” Song Ling said slowly, “Now Yangzhou is about to launch an attack, but the King of Qi can only scrape together 80,000 troops. He will definitely borrow men from Jingzhou.”
“But my Southwest Army is also in a very difficult position.” Su Duan frowned and said, “The general left half of his troops on the border to prepare for Wuqi’s northward advance. Now, it is still possible to send 80,000 troops to resist the King of Qi.”
"If the governor of Jingzhou causes further trouble, what will happen to the general?"
Su Duan's biggest worry was that he would want both sides and end up getting nothing in return.
Song Ling paused slightly: "Have you forgotten that you and the Governor of Jingzhou are related by marriage?"
Su Duan suddenly realized and laughed, "You really are... What can Governor Lin's married daughter, who has no real power, possibly do?"
“Sir, you should not underestimate women,” Song Ling smiled slightly, “nor should you underestimate women who are desperate and have no other choice.”
“I didn’t mean that.” Su Duan shook his head slightly. “I just felt that the daughter was just the daughter-in-law of the governor of Jingzhou. How could she possibly influence his thoughts?”
“The governor of Jingzhou is a good man in every way, loyal to the emperor to the bone. If it weren’t for the decrees of Luoyang, he would never have helped the rebel king.” Song Ling wiped away the tea foam and said softly, “But he has a fatal flaw, which is that he is fond of beautiful women.”
Su Duan: "You wouldn't want that daughter to go..."
Song Ling laughed, "What are you thinking? This person still has some integrity, just not much."
"He was also notorious for favoring his concubines over his wife. Not only did he neglect his wife and eldest son, but he also doted on the two young sons born to his concubines. He even had the idea of deposing the legitimate wife and establishing the young sons in his place."
"The eldest son hasn't had a good life these past few years, but he's not worth pitying. After getting married, he learned all of his father's bad habits."
Song Ling sarcastically remarked, "Those concubines are no pushovers either. Their husbands are indifferent to them. Governor Lin's eldest daughter was tormented and fell seriously ill right after giving birth to her daughter last year. Now, who knows how many more years she has left to live?"
Su Duan asked in a deep voice, "So, is it possible to win this woman over?"
“Although the eldest son of the governor of Jingzhou is not favored, he is still a fierce general in Jingzhou.” Song Ling smiled and looked at him. “So, she should be able to get the defense map of Jingzhou.”
Su Duan took a deep breath, "Then how do we contact her, and how do we persuade her? After all..."
Ask her if she still wants to go home alive, if she wants to see her mother and sister, and if she wants her children to live.
"As for contacting her?" Song Ling took a sip of tea. "Prefect Lin's wife must have a backup plan."
A mother who loves her child will always have a long-term vision for her child.
If a mother who misses her daughter knew the truth—that her daughter was seriously ill and on the verge of death—would she remain unmoved?
Compromise once means compromise a second time and countless times.
Madam Qu would compromise and tolerate for the sake of her youngest daughter, but what about her eldest daughter who was married off to a distant place at a young age?
Song Ling lowered her eyes and sighed softly. Family affection is truly the most complex and beautiful thing in the world.
It is also the most useful thing.
“This should be your task,” Song Ling said, looking at Su Duan. “Whether you threaten her or coax her, get her to write a letter to her eldest daughter. She will definitely have a way to get it into the governor’s mansion in Jingzhou.”
"And you..." Song Ling smiled with a hint of malice, "As her father, shouldn't you naturally write a letter to show your concern for your daughter?"
What to do next is already quite clear.
However, Su Duan still had one question: "The governor's mansion couldn't possibly have gone missing without noticing that two people have gone missing. Even if the governor's eldest son dislikes her, surely he wouldn't have noticed that such a large, living person has disappeared?"
Song Ling: "This is what I said at the beginning. As long as Luoyang issues an order, Jingzhou will definitely send troops to assist the King of Qi. The governor of Jingzhou is reluctant to send his young son to the battlefield."
Su Duan: "Are you so sure that an imperial decree will come from Luoyang?"
“Because the Second Prince is quite cunning, but his vision is still not far-sighted.” Song Ling stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. “Has this been a while since you’ve cleaned?”
Su Duan paused for a moment: "I'll call someone to clean up in a bit, you can continue now."
“It’s like listening to a storybook.” Song Ling smiled helplessly: “You’ve been in Luoyang for so many years, do I need to explain? The Second Prince only cares about power and territory, he can’t see the people.”
Song Ling: "Judging from the dozens of edicts he issued earlier ordering our generals to come to the capital to report on their duties, he is more worried about Yu Baizhou, the garrison commander of the southern border, than his uncle, the Prince of Qi, who is a rebel."
Song Ling: "After all, the vassal kings share the same surname as him, and he can be appeased with fiefdoms and rewards. But if the border generals rise up, they will definitely try to seize the throne that he hasn't even warmed up yet."
“So, Lord Su, please rest assured and do your job.” Song Ling patted his shoulder: “If anything happens or there are any accidents, I’ll take care of it. And if all else fails, we still have the soldiers of the Southern Frontier.”
Having grown accustomed to hearing the title "Lord Lin" these past few days, Su Duan was somewhat bewildered when he first heard this address.
Okay, I'll try my best.
Writers are known for their sharp tongues, but Song Ling had no worries about that.
Su Duan, Su Zhengze. The young Left Prime Minister, once he agrees, he won't back down.
Just as when they seized the governor's mansion, just as after Governor Lin's death they kept quiet and guarded Shannan Prefecture for more than a few months.
For example, the subsequent capture of Yunzhou.
*
"General, who are you waiting for?"
The bodyguard beside him crossed his arms, a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking somewhat impatient.
Shi Qing frowned slightly and looked at the sky: "Wait another quarter of an hour."
These eight hundred-plus people were all elites, their skills were beyond question, but they had bad tempers, or rather, they were all troublemakers.
Of course, they were still quite obedient to Shi Qing and the commander. This was because their prestige was earned through genuinely defeating them.
The faint sound of horses' hooves clattering in the snow could be heard from a distance, until two horses approached from afar.
“迂——”
Song Ling and Shi Jiu dismounted and whistled.
The horse seemed to understand, and galloped straight in the opposite direction.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, General Shi."
Shi Qing glanced at the two slender men before him, simply grunted in response, and then instructed the others:
"Go into the mountains."
Shi Qing didn't know where the general had found such a strategist for him. The one in black was alright, but as for the one in white... such a man, yet so thin and weak.
When he first entered the mountains, he was extremely irritable, fearing that the two people would slow down the march.
Unexpectedly, after a day, when they reached the depths of the mountains, some of Shi Qing's soldiers began to tire, but these two remained calm and composed.
This changed Shi Qing and the soldiers' opinion of them considerably.
Perhaps most talented and extraordinary people keep their abilities hidden?
Late at night, Shi Qing returned from her patrol and saw the man in white still warming himself by the fire, so she sat down opposite him.
"May I ask your name, sir?"
Song Ling raised her head slightly and smiled: "I thought General Shi wasn't going to pay any attention to the two of us on the way here."
Shi Qing muttered, "It's my ignorance to make hasty judgments about people."
"Sir, you are very capable."
Song Ling smiled, shook her head slightly, and stood up. "The general will know the name in the future. I just hope that what the general said today can be put to practical use."
"What...does this mean?"
Shi Qing was a little confused, but Song Ling had already climbed up a nearby tree and taken a nap.
The next day, they might have to walk for half a day to reach Hundred Snake Cliff, where the terrain was treacherous, but it was only a cliff away from the camp of King Qi.
Once inside the mountains, not even pigeons can fly in, let alone human power.
Song Ling and her group seemed to vanish. Of course, they had signal flares, but they wouldn't use them unless it was a critical moment.
Several deputy generals stood guard in front of the sand table, their brows furrowed in seriousness.
Their concern was the escalating war, but Yu Baizhou also had to consider Shi Qing and his group who had already entered the mountains.
"The enemy is really coming on strong..." Wei Yan clicked his tongue, looking at the army that the King of Qi had gathered on the sand map, and couldn't help but wonder: "How could this stingy old scoundrel, the Governor of Jingzhou, suddenly agree to lend troops to the King of Qi?"
"He'd be heartbroken to have to pull out over 20,000 men, wouldn't he?"
Yu Baizhou smiled sarcastically, "Our new emperor is so eager to get rid of me that he can even temporarily put an end to the matter of the Prince of Qi becoming emperor."
Lieutenant Li crossed his arms, his unkempt beard twitching as he spoke, “The enemy has 100,000, while we only have 80,000, and that includes the wounded.”
"Should we send some more troops from the south?"
But as soon as he said this, another deputy general, Zhang, immediately disagreed, "That won't do. The south is still watching us like tigers eyeing the land. If we mobilize troops, wouldn't that give those barbarians an opportunity to take advantage?"
Yu Baizhou nodded, "That's true."
"We will proceed as previously agreed, with slight adjustments to the marching formation. Vice General Li will stay behind to discuss the matter with Jinghe."
...
"Is the strategist really as capable as you say?"
Xue Hu wiped the sweat from his brow and tossed the spear aside.
"Otherwise?" Chu Yan was also drenched in sweat, and moved his wrist, which was a little sore from half an hour of sparring. "But you are really strong. My wrist is still aching from the vibrations."
Xue Hu patted Chu Yan on the shoulder readily, "You're not bad either."
"At first, I thought you were just some pretty boy from a powerful family." Xue Hu looked you over casually. "I didn't expect you to be so capable in battle. I'll take you as my brother."
"After the war is over, I'll introduce my sister to you." Xue Hu patted his chest: "Let's become in-laws."
Seeing his serious expression, Chu Yan's lips twitched slightly. "No need, I have a wife."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I really couldn't tell..." Xue Hu was just making things up on a whim: "You weren't trying to fool me, were you?"
Chu Yan: "Why would I lie to you? I'll go find her after this battle is over."
"When will this war ever end?" Xue Hu scratched his head. "Then your wife will have to wait a long time. I don't know when we'll be able to go home. I don't even have a wife yet."
Chu Yan simply smiled and remained silent.
"By the way, the war starts tomorrow. I have a lot of cornbread I've saved up, you can have it all." Chu Yan handed him a cloth bag: "I don't have a big appetite, I won't be able to eat it all."
"Eat more, make more military achievements, so you can get married sooner."
"Are you making fun of me?" Xue Hu glared at him irritably. "Keep them for yourself. I don't need these two cornbreads."
Chu Yan laughed heartily, "Are you sure you don't want it?"
A moment later, a hand stealthily reached back and snatched the cloth bag away.
"I'm afraid of wasting food..."
The muttering voice faded into the distance.
Chu Yan was left standing there laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up.
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